May 21, 2009

The IGCSE listening test is just around the corner and here's some more practice. You can download and listen to the recordings from my Podcast at the sidebar of my page. You can also download and print the Listening Comprehension Test May/June 2007. I'll be posting the answer key later today.

May 13, 2009

In Cyprus, the countdown has started. The IGCSE ESL Reading and Writing is on Friday May 15th. Here's some more practice for all those of you who are taking the IGCSE examination (extended) in English as a Second Language. You can download and print the May/June 2007 past exam paper. You will need Adobe Reader 7.0 to download this file. I'll post the answer key tomorrow. Don't forget that practice makes perfect. Best of luck to you all!

May 07, 2009

Make sure you read the introduction to each question, as this often provides clues as to what will happen in the exercise. Remember, part of the skill of listening is to be able to predict what might be said next.

If a question is concerned with the cost of an item, the answer is expected to be given in the original currency. A numerical amount alone is not enough.

You should spend some time practising listening to numbers, particularly numbers which sound alike - e.g. fourteen and forty.

It's probably more important on the listening paper to make sure you supply the exact number of answers required. Each question will state clearly how many points are needed - e.g. Give three items which.... You should check to make sure you have given the exact number of points required. Examiners often say that many students fail to get this right.

Bear in mind that for many questions on the paper, you will need to produce more than one point / answer to get a single mark. If you give only one point where two are required (for one mark), the Examiner will not be able to give you the mark.

Watch out for plurals. Millions is not the same as million.

Remember, you will hear everything twice. There is a chance, therefore, to try and work some answers out. You are allowed to make notes while you are listening and you can use the blank areas on the exam paper to do this.

By all means, have a guess as a last resort, but be aware that Examiners are looking to see that you have fully understood what you have been listening for and that you really do know the words you are writing down. This means that you can make spelling mistakes, but you will only get the mark if your word is close to the correct word and if it does not form another recognised English word. For example, if you answer "chance" when the correct answer is "chants", you will not get the mark. On the other hand, if you know the word "chants" but you mispell as "chantes", you will get the mark.

For answers which require longer responses, try to make sure that you have communicated the point / idea clearly. You can use some of your own words to do this, but remember, the IGCSE Listening Paper is a test mainly of your ability to write down what you have heard. In other words, all the details (evidence) you need will have been given by the speakers on the CD. For example, the speaker said: "I used to go swimming almost every day after school." Question : What did Peter do after school? Best answer: He went swimming almost every day after school. Accepted answer (your own words): Peter enjoyed going swimming after school. Wrong answer: He used to like the beach.

Remember, you are not expected to understand every single word you have heard. Trying to do this while you are listening will almost invariably lead you to the wrong answers. Highlight the question word and/or key words so that you know what to listen for. For instance, What did Peter do almost every day after school?

May 02, 2009

In the organization of industrial life the influence of the factory upon the physiological and mental state of the workers has been completely neglected. Modern industry is based on the conception of the maximum production at lowest cost, in order that an individual or a group of individuals may earn as much money as possible. It has expanded without any idea of the true nature of the human beings who run the machines, and without giving any consideration to the effects produced on the individuals and on their own descendants by the artificial mode of existence imposed by the factory. The great cities have been built with no regard for us. The shape and dimensions of the skyscrapers depend entirely on the necessity of obtaining the maximum income per square foot of ground, and of offering to the tenants offices and apartments that please them. This caused theconstruction of gigantic buildings where too large masses of human beings are crowded together. Civilized men like such a way of living. While they enjoy the comfort and banal luxury of their dwelling, they do not realize that they are deprived of the necessities of life. The modern city consists of monstrous edifices and of dark, narrow streets full of petrol fumes, coal dust and toxic gases, torn by the noise of the taxi-cabs, lorries and buses, and thronged ceaselessly by great crowds. Obviously, it has not been planned for the good of its inhabitants.

ALEXIS CARPEL- Man, the Unknown

A. Answer these questions in your own words as far as possible. Use one complete sentence for each answer.